Full time vet & amateur event rider

Month: February 2017

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Firstly I shall endeavour to blog more regularly this year! With an injury (to myself) quite early in the season, I slightly lost enthusiasm with Ali and I loosing our mojo despite the other 2 going well and Merlin stepping up to Novice and winning too!!

All the horses are going well and feeling good, if not a little spritely at times in this cold weather! We have been to a few training competitions and I have some training planned with all of them too. Flicka, who we unfortunately are going to sell (can’t keep them all…) has really strengthened up over the winter and Mum has been enjoying some dressage lessons with Adam Kemp on her. As she has strengthened her jumping has improved lots too – although she is only 15.2hh, she is a full warmblood so it has taken her a little longer to mature. We took her to Allens Hill a couple of weeks ago for the Eventing Training – she did a good dressage test with just one mistake and then jumped a brilliant double clear in the Show Jumping/simulated cross country at 1m. We were thrilled as she hadn’t be out to jump since the end of the last jumping season. See a video of her in action here.

Flicka schooling at home

I have been having some great dressage lessons on Ali with Islay Auty, she is improving all the time mainly working on collection and quality in all the paces and flying changes. She qualified for British Dressage Regionals at Advanced Medium (silver) but we don’t feel she is quite ready to be competitive so will carry on training for now, especially as we are focusing on her eventing as well again now. She is jumping better than ever and as keen as ever!! See a video of her round at Allens Hill 1.20m here. I am excited to have got a place on one of the Mark Todd Bridging the Gap 2-day training courses with Gill Watson and Lizzel Winter at the end of February – really looking forward to having their input in stepping up to 3*/advanced level again with her!

A frosty Ali after schooling early one chilly morning!

Merlin has come back into work now after spending some time over Christmas back home with his owner Sue and is feeling good, he too has strengthened up and looks fantastic. We are trying jumping him in a pelham, which he seems to like, making a lovely shape over a fence in this bit and feeling very happy! He had is first outing last week jumping a good clear round the 1m in his new bit! He has had a lesson with Islay too and we are working on impulsion in the trot and canter as well as improving the lengthening in these paces. See a couple of clips of his lesson here. Not long now until we get the out cross country schooling again too!

Merlin flying at his first jumping outing of the year! Happy boy 🙂

Mum and I had a good day at the International Eventing Forum at Hartpury on Monday, as always with many useful tips and exercises to try at home. Tomorrow, we are off to Allens Hill for some more Eventing Training weather dependant (surely it won’t snow…)

Thank you to Lintbells Equine for their continued support with Yumove Active Joint and Yumega Skin and Coat. Now with Mum due a second hip replacement, she is also trying out their human joint supplement iMove! Check out all their products (including for dogs and cats too) at http://www.lintbells.com